Five technology trends to watch in 2019

While innovation in technology trends thrived in 2018, there is definitely more to look forward to in 2019. Whether you are creating these technologies or implementing them to the benefit of your business, it’s important to stay ahead of the curve in this critical time of planning.

We look at 5 technology trends to keep an eye out for this year, let’s explore.

More automation

We foresee more business owners, and consumers, embracing automation. Being more efficient and eliminating waste continues to be the order of the day and increased automation of marketing tools is at the forefront of this trend.

With an increasing omnichannel approach to marketing, implementing multichannel strategies which includes email, social media, mobile and content marketing are vital. Marketing automation is a way to guide potential customers through your existing touchpoints to ultimately generate new leads.

Business process automation is technology-enabled processes that allow for more effective and efficient management of your business. There is definitely a lot to expect in this arena in 2019.

Increase in eCommerce sales

Forecasters believe that 2019 brings with it increased revenue from online sales for retailers. With the online purchasing experience being more personalised across multiple shopping channels, a worldwide growth of eCommerce sales can be expected.

With the price-checking process being so efficient, we may see a rise in people buying more everyday consumables online. Things that may generally warrant a trip to your local supermarket could potentially boost online sales.

Let’s not forget about AI

Artificial intelligence is all about machines with human attributes. Analysts predict that within a few years, all software will use AI at some level, and 2019 will see a definite increase in this. With machines being able to speak, read, see and even recognise emotion, it is evident why AI is seen as a potential ‘threat’ to the future workforce. Instead of feeling threatened, we should be asking how AI can help your organisation.

What about Augmented Reality?

2019 is set to see a surge of use and availability of Augmented Reality to the general public. With numerous mobile devices already having AR functionality, mainly for games and other fun activities, we’re set to experience increased growth in bringing AR into everyday, practical utilization.

As we see developers becoming more comfortable with the technology, they’ll really start to get creative with it and we may see it integrated into more and more apps in the marketplace. New developments in the virtual and augmented reality space will see improvement in the performance, mobility and affordability of these technologies.

Edge computing

While the adoption of cloud computing is still growing, as more business migrates to a cloud solution, it can no longer be considered an emerging technology. This is where Edge steps in. By simple definition, Edge computing is computing that’s done at or near the source of the data, instead of relying on the cloud at one of a dozen data centers to do all the work. Edge computing is designed to combat some of the latency problems presented by the cloud solution.

Definitely a term we’re set to hear more frequently in 2019.

What trends are you most interested in this year? Let us know